Consistency and Balancing in Everyday Health Behaviour: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Approach.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the sequential interplay of different health behaviours. Health behaviours may be connected in four different ways: a healthy behaviour may lead to a subsequent healthy or unhealthy behaviour (positive consistency and licensing, respectively), or an unhealthy behaviour may lead to a subsequent unhealthy or healthy behaviour (negative consistency and cleansing, respectively). In this study, these four possible types of sequential health behaviours were examined jointly in people's daily life.

METHODS: The study used ecological momentary assessment. Participants (N = 235; 55% female; age 18-45) were randomly signalled five times daily on their smart phones for seven consecutive days. They reported both healthy and unhealthy behaviours that occurred within the past hour. Participants were also asked if the (healthy or unhealthy) behaviour was related to any previous healthy or unhealthy behaviour. In addition, they completed measures of life satisfaction, general health status, and compensatory health beliefs.

RESULTS: Positive consistency predicted satisfaction with life, whereas negative consistency and cleansing negatively predicted general health status. Compensatory health beliefs were not related to actual cleansing or licensing behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS: Fostering positive consistency and discouraging cleansing behaviour should play a pivotal role in health promotion programmes.